A process for treating a diseased organism in which encapsulated material is disposed within the organism and contacted with focused photonic energy.
Proton therapy is often used to treat tumors. Thus, e.g., and as is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,668,371, xe2x80x9cIn present proton therapy systems, a beam of protons is collimated to the outline of the tumor and adjusted in energy to stop at the far edge of the tumor. Material is then inserted in the proton beam to reduce the energy of the protons and thus draw the point where the protons stop back through the tumor.xe2x80x9d
In prior art proton therapy processes, it is difficult to narrowly focus the proton energy on diseased tissue. Thus, as is disclosed in Column 2 of U.S. Pat. No. 5,668,371, xe2x80x9cThis technique, which continuously exposes the patient to the beam of protons as the spokes are moved through the beam, dramatically increases the dose to healthy tissue on the near side of the tumor . . . .xe2x80x9d
It is an object of this invention to provide a process of proton therapy in which the dose of protons supplied to healthy tissue within an organism is minimized.
In accordance with this invention, there is provided a process for proton therapy comprising the steps of disposing a multiplicity of nanocapsules at a specified site within a biological organism, focusing laser energy at a wavelength of from about 350 nanometers to about 850 nanometers and an intensity of from about 1019 to about 1021 watts/square centimeter, and contacting said nanocapsules with said focused laser energy for less than about 30 femtoseconds, thereby producing charged nuclei within said capsules.